You aren’t alone

Those Pesky Unintended Consequences

Are you SURE you want to do that?

Unintended Consequences!

We have all done it: made a decision to solve one problem, only to discover we have created three more problems with our solution. My lonely little ficus tree looked sickly and gray in the corner of my office in Hawaii. “Why not plant that outside?” I thought to myself. Why not? I discovered a half dozen why not’s!

The tree doubled in size the first six months. It loved all that Hawaii sun and rich volcanic soil

By the second year, it had quadrupled in size

The roots began to wind their way down to our retaining wall

Meanwhile my neighbor Lefty, an avid orchid grower, was dealing with the shade from this monster tree and his orchids were suffering. He was not happy with the unintended consequences of my poorly-thought-out idea…

I suddenly had the awful task of trying to end this tree’s reign of terror over our back yard. It looked impossible and I didn’t have any idea or any tools to commit Ficus-side.

Up until the tree incident, I enjoyed a lovely friendship with the neighbors on both sides. Not so much anymore. I told Lefty I’d bring in a tree expert when I returned from my trip.

Lefty had other ideas. His wife told me he hid in the garage and watched me drive off to the airport. As soon as my car was out of sight, he was on the job. He sawed and hacked and reduced that monster tree into submission. When he had most of the tree carcass in his truck, he drilled into the roots and poured some kind of powder, then lit it on fire.

When I returned from my trip the only visible evidence that a tree had stood there was my rapidly degrading retaining wall and a patch of new grass. The contractor I hired to shore up the wall had to pull it down piece by piece while sawing at the roots pushing from the inside. The heavy machinery tore up my lawn and destroyed part of my driveway.

Lesson learned…

When you have a “great idea” – ASK people who may know something you don’t! Ask yourself what the desired end result is. Figure out if the cost of doing it (and UNDOING it!) are worth it. And maybe just sit on the idea for a few days and revisit it when your brain cells are functioning better. Not all ideas are great. Not everything needs an action plan. And some things are better off sitting in the corner of your office looking lonely instead of being fed superfood and turning into a monster tree practically over night!!

RSS Feed

Optin Form

Follow us on Twitter

Social Media Love

Why “Everybody’s Lost?”

We often believe we are alone in feeling lost from time to time. My father's advice as I left for college helped me understand otherwise. This blog offers some Life Hacks for Grownups to shine a little light on those dark days when you feel lost. For more, go to About Us

We look forward to talking with you!
Beth and the Team
Beth Terry has researched, written and presented thousands of speeches and training programs on a variety of subjects: Relationships, Change, Stress, Overwhelm, Service, Hospitality Industry, Travel, Self Improvement, Management Skills and Life Skills. She has spoken to half a million people in six countries. Beth raised 7 stepkids and a passel of Hanai (foster) kids. We encouraged Beth to put this blog together to share her life experiences in the hope that they might enrich your life. Thanks for reading!
The Team at Beth Terry Events

Testimonials

Aloha Beth, You always “set the house on fire” with your spirited and thought provoking presentations. Thank you for speaking to the ARMA Hawaii Chapter. I hope I’m able to get you a gig speaking to Access in Phoenix… Take care and keep in touch!...

Beth, I don’t think you fully appreciate how much you help people. You sit with me and in 10 minutes, my situation is clear and you’ve motivated me to do something, or maybe not do something that would have been the wrong thing. Thank you...